VIA Rail unveils plan to continue modernization

VIA Rail Canada, as part of its ongoing modernization, is taking action to better meet customer demand. VIA Rail is introducing significant improvements to its operations, including tracks, stations and trains, better interconnectivity with other carriers, enhanced customer experience and e-services.

This next phase of VIA Rail's modernization includes adjusting frequencies on specific routes to better reflect customer demand, while maintaining service on all current routes. This is necessary to allow VIA Rail to focus resources on improving service and attracting more customers on routes where demand is strong and growing.

VIA Rail President & CEO Marc Laliberté said these service adjustments will unfold from July to end of October and are part of VIA Rail's many steps to modernize Canada's national passenger rail service.

"By the end of the year, we will complete work to expand track capacity between Montréal and Toronto, where demand for more rail service is high," Laliberté said. "We will begin operating a completely refurbished fleet of modern, high-efficiency locomotives coast-to-coast. We will start introducing vastly improved passenger cars offering more accessibility for Canadians with disabilities. We will be opening new and renovated passenger stations at key points across our network and offer e-services so that passengers can better connect in the transportation network and work while on board our trains. Adjusting our services to better align with customer demand is an important step of our modernization, making sure we offer the right level of service to meet customer needs today and building capacity to serve more customers in markets where demand will grow in the future."

As part of aligning services to customer demand, VIA Rail is partnering with other passenger services to better harmonize schedules and to sell fares in an integrated way on VIA Rail's website. These changes contribute to an interconnected national passenger transportation system and is expected to further reduce costs and increase revenues for the corporation.